SEOUL: South Korea is undergoing a phased contribution to efforts to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Wednesday, signaling steps of support that lack military involvement, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Ahn told a news conference with South Korean media correspondents in Washington that he had conveyed Seoul’s position in a meeting with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday.
“We said at about this level that we will basically participate as a responsible member of the international community and that we will review ways to contribute in a step-by-step manner,” Ahn said, according to Yonhap.
Ahn said possible forms of incremental support could include expressions of political support, personnel deployments, information sharing and the provision of military assets, while stressing that no detailed discussions had taken place on expanding South Korean troop participation.
“There was no deep discussion about anything like specifically expanding our military’s participation,” he said, adding that any decision would have to follow national legal procedures.
Attack on South Korean ship
The meeting between South Korean and US defense chiefs came a day after Seoul condemned an attack on a South Korean-flagged vessel near the Strait of Hormuz last week.
South Korea’s presidential office strongly condemned the incident but said it was still investigating responsibility for the attack.
At the meeting, Hegseth said Washington expected allies to “stand shoulder-to-shoulder” amid rising global threats, citing US President Donald Trump’s approval of what he called Operation Epic Fury as evidence of the administration’s resolve.
He praised Seoul’s plans to increase defense spending and assume greater responsibility for security on the Korean Peninsula, calling it an example of the alliance’s burden-sharing.
Separately, Ahn told reporters that Hegseth expressed understanding of South Korea’s position on a condition-based transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States, and the goal of completing the transition at an early date.
According to Yonhap, Ahn also said the two sides exchanged views on other alliance issues, including plans to build nuclear-powered submarines.
He said there had been no discussion during the talks about a reduction of US forces stationed in South Korea or about the strategic flexibility of US troops stationed in the country.
